In a significant development, Franklin Nwadialo, the newly elected chairman of Ogbaru Local Government Area (LGA) in Anambra State, Nigeria, has been arrested in Texas, United States, for his alleged involvement in a $3.3 million romance scam.
The arrest, carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was confirmed by the U.S. Department of Justice in a detailed statement outlining the charges.
Nwadialo, 40, is facing a 14-count charge of wire fraud and other related offenses, which could result in a maximum prison sentence of 20 years if he is found guilty.
According to reports, the FBI detained him upon his arrival in Texas, and he is set to be transferred to the Western District of Washington for formal arraignment.
The indictment reveals that Nwadialo employed various aliases, notably “Giovanni,” to establish connections with victims on popular dating platforms, including Match, Zoosk, and Christian Café.
To bolster his scams, he used fraudulent images for his profiles and often posed as a member of the military stationed abroad, which provided a convenient excuse for avoiding in-person meetings.
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The U.S. Department of Justice highlighted a particularly elaborate scheme from 2020, in which Nwadialo convinced a victim that he had been fined $150,000 by the military for revealing his location and needed financial assistance. This deception led to the victim losing at least $2.4 million.
In another incident dating back to 2019, Nwadialo persuaded a second victim to assist in moving funds between U.S. accounts to those controlled by him and co-conspirators, under the guise of handling affairs related to his father’s death. The victim transferred approximately $330,000 to these accounts.
Further allegations include a case where Nwadialo defrauded a woman by claiming he was managing investments on her behalf.
He instructed her to deposit money into a cryptocurrency account he controlled, resulting in a loss of at least $270,000.
Another instance cited by the authorities involves a victim who sent him $310,000 after Nwadialo fabricated stories about needing financial aid for his father’s funeral and his son’s school tuition.
The extensive charge sheet outlines how Nwadialo maintained communication with the victims and orchestrated the wiring of funds into accounts managed by him and his co-schemers.
The prosecution in this case is led by Sok Jiang, an assistant United States attorney.
Nwadialo’s arrest and the nature of the allegations have drawn attention to the risks of online fraud and the extensive reach of scams orchestrated through social media and dating platforms.
If convicted, the case could serve as a stark reminder of the consequences of cyber fraud and its significant impact on victims globally.